Here at THE VINYL DISTRICTwe're good consumers. All Mp3's are posted to promote and give exposure to the music and are linked for a limited time. Please download to preview, then head promptly to your local vinyl vendor (or - OK, CD store too) and fork over your hard earned cash. You'll appreciate the piece of mind.

Got something you think we should be listening to or reading? thevinyldistrict (at) gmail.com

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Earlier in the week we chatted with Amanda Zelina and Chase from Cavalier Rose and their missives follow... "What can I say about mom and pop record stores? That's a loaded question... filled with memories I can taste, scents that still lay on the tip on my nose and sounds that will be forever en-grained in me.

My first trip to a record store came quite late in life, embarrassingly so. I grew up on tapes and Cd's...one of the down falls of being born into this "contemporary" world of the mid 1980's and on. Although because of it's tardiness I feel like it heightened my experience even more.

I have been a musician all my life and grew up on Soul, Blues, Motown etc. With my somewhat aged taste in music I was obviously drawn to the crackle of the vinyl sound as soon as I discovered it. The scent of the dusty cardboard sleeves and the imperfections of the sometimes scratched or nicked records made my experience that much better.

My dad brought me to my very first record store when I was around 15 years old. I remember walking in and having this rush of excitement wash over me like when you listen to your favourite part of that particular song that always " gets you". I looked out onto the vast sea of crates filled with these square cardboard things called "records". We were in Nova Scotia on one of my dads conferences; The smell reminded me of the hours I spent sifting through the oldest books I could find at the library, hoping at a young age to uncover the secrets and myths of what comes with age. I've always been a keen eye or ear for the classic knowledge that only comes with years lived.

The rest of the experience that day is all a haze. I know I left with a 7" of Bob Marley's and the Wailers. Reggae was also something we cherished in the household. Soon after that, naturally came: Tom Waits, ZZ Top, Johnny Cash, Son House, and any rare blues record I could find...mainly delta blues.

Since than, I have lived/visited in California, Italy, Southern France, Switzerland, Toronto, All of Canada etc. Along the way I ALWAYS stop in to mom and pop record stores. To me there is nothing that can touch the experience of vinyl. I will forever be in love with it, and always be in search of those gems."

Amanda Zelina - My Version Of It (Mp3)Amanda Zelina - Obsessed (Mp3)"Like the vast majority of people my age, I grew up listening to CDs and eventually MP3s, fueled by the advent of Napster, Audio Galaxy, and eventually the iPod. It’s just how things went. Unlike a lucky few, I did not have the luxury of a parent’s old record collection to rummage through and/or an old turntable to fire up. But still, in opposition to most of the people my age, I somehow grew up listening exclusively to the likes of Hendrix, Cream, The Beatles etc. Needless to say, I never understood why none of my friends were into the same music I was. While on the bus to school, the scenario was often that I’d have my discman blasting Zeppelin IV while my friends were sitting around talking about the new Korn or Bush album...to which I was indifferent.

For me, the beauty and mystique of vinyl wasn’t realized until late in high school. Having been brainwashed into welcoming the more sterile sounds of digitized music mediums, I heard a few of my favorite LPs on vinyl for the first time while at a friend’s house. My buddy’s father and I got talking about music, and come to find out he had an amazing vinyl collection. He took me down to their basement and let me check out what he had. I could have been down there for days, but The Rolling Stones’ “Let it Bleed” immediately caught my eye and I insisted we throw it on.

As soon as the needle dropped, I knew something different was about to happen. I’d heard this record hundreds of times, but “Gimme Shelter” proceeded to blow my mind as it never had before. It was as though I was listening to the album for the first time. The richness of the sound and the roundness of the low end crushed me. I was immediately aware that all the bands I had loved over the years were always intended to be heard on vinyl...I had been missing out. Since that day I’ve chosen vinyl over other listening means whenever possible, and I can’t express enough excitement regarding the resurgence of vinyl’s popularity in the music being recorded and listened to these days."Cavalier Rose - Tidal Crusher (Mp3)Cavalier Rose - Primary Colors (Mp3)

Catch Cavalier Rose tomorrow night (8/27) at The Annex in Manhattan and download the band's debut EP FREE at their website!